camp THE HOUSE JACK BUILT \ nursery rebuilding

[BLAZESTAR]

[ this takes place directly after snowpath’s death and bobbie’s kitting. the plan is for pieces of the tree to be used to reinforce the new nursery, but how we do it exactly will be left more or less up to ic. :] feel free to have your character start moving things around. reminder the original nursery was crushed by the tree that struck snowpath. ]

Blazestar has padded away from where Bobbie has curled around her newborn kits. Blue eyes filled with turmoil and resignation rake over the smashed holly bush and its crushed reinforcements. The nursery is gone—the nursery his own kits had played in, where all three of his deputies have nursed kits, is gone. The nursery he’d brought Butterflytuft to, scared and frail; where Rain’s colony before him had nestled with their children. History has been lost, and it stings like brambles around his heart.

But thanks to Snowpath, life has not been lost. The gray warrior, brave as the mother who’d gone out fighting before him, saved his sister and two kits. SkyClan’s future, its present, is safe, thanks to his sacrifice. Blazestar’s throat constricts, but he speaks, calling his Clan around him. “SkyClan, gather close.” He does not use the Highbranch; this is no ordinary Clan meeting. “Bobbie has kitted, Yukio is close to kitting, and Orangeblossom is in charge of many kits who need adequate shelter. I know we are grieving and tired, but we must ensure our most vulnerable do not suffer anymore than they have.” He nods to what was once their nursery. “We have to rebuild it.”

​

[ PENNED BY MARQUETTE ]​

 

[Dandelionwish]

"Aye, that we do..."
He'd been out of camp. He'd been out of camp at the time and was devastated when he returned to grief so heavy it clogged the air, a body and a broken heart that had only just started to mend. He'd been selfish briefly in seeking out Butterflytuft first to find and console, but the entire clan needed the support and not just her; though in a way the nursery being rebuilt would also ease her own pain. The slender limbed tom stalked forward, wheat stalk between his teeth and mismatched gaze settling on the broken remnants of the tree, of the hollybush crumpled beneath it; bits and pieces of both had shattered off and lay broken across the ground and he raised a paw to bat at a stray clump of bark in his path as he rounded the fallen trunk with skepticism and narrowed eyes deeply considering options.
Dandelionwish was not too familiar with dens before coming to SkyClan, WindClan slept beneath the stars and his own medicine cat den was a very hollow and shallow dug burrow just to keep herbs dry in the awful weather; he could still always see the sky if he scooted even a little forward from his nest at the back. With the winds lately being so severe as to topple a tree, perhaps the tree itself could lend to the defense of the nursery, "Reckon this might work as a wall in a way, fair bit sturdier than a bush..."
The tom furrowed his brow, nose scrunched up as he tapped a paw along the tree and mulled over in his head ideas. Well, perhaps cleaning up might help as a starting point, with a turn he grabbed up a snapped branch to drag off to the edge of camp and out of the way; returning to repeat the process a few times before pausing. Maybe....maybe Butterflytuft would like to help. With a pivot he redirected himself to go and fetch her, picking up and rebuilding the nursery was bound to give her some hope for the future.

---

[Ooc]
Paused his work to go fetch @butterflytuft !
​

 

[SLATESNARL]

❪ TAGS ❫ — Slate had not been in camp for the sudden destruction of the nursery as well as the untimely death of Snowpaw (now named Snowpath), but the aftermath had been gruesome and depressing, to say the least. The apprentice had given his life to save two of SkyClan's kits, including Orangeblossom's. It was a damn brave thing that he had done, one that Slate wasn't sure if he could ever have the guts to do.

As soon as Blazestar instructed the clan, the cogs in Slate's mind began to rotate and try and find a solution for the problem at hand. Amber eyes flit around the scene before him, realizing that there isn't much that the clan could really do. Could a twoleg even lift something this heavy? "Ain't no movin' or clawin' through it." He murmurs, mostly to himself, before he opts for the most logical option at this point — digging under the tree.

Utilizing his sheer bulk and strength, the Maine Coon began to scoop pawfuls of dirt from the base of the trunk. If this tree was going to stay put, then it could act as a ceiling for an underground den of sorts. That, at least to him, seemed like the best way to go about it.​

 

[BRAMBLEHEART]

જ➶ Tragedies struck and he always feels like he is miles away from them. A seperate entity just watching from the outside, knowing these cats but never too close. He heard what had happened but seeing how the tree broke the nursery like this and knowing someone died in order to save others makes a chill run down his spine. Though a noble sacrifice he wishes that it didn't have to happen. The former kittypet sets his eyes on the tree after just looking and he finally lifts his eyes up to Blazestar. "I'll help." Hos voice is but a mere mumble as he steps forward and starts trying to move some snapped and broken branches. He keeps himself at a distance to the lead warrior, eyes focusing on his work as fragile form drags some of the branches away. Maybe these can have a different purpose. His paws press against the bark of the tree as he sniffs along it.

It is a large thing and he frowns before wondering if it can be the nursery itself. The tree is most certainly here to stay so making it the nursery seems plausible.​

 

[GREENEYES]

He's merely a shadow of himself now as he casts his gaze at the tree that sits in the midst of camp. Its presence brings back images of what's been taken from him - of the brother he watched take his final, crimson-laced breaths beside the rubble of the place of their first memories.

A nightmarish scene he can't quite remove from his head - the presence of his brother's killer, no longer holding gray fur in its grasp.

Blazestar seeks to rebuild the nursery. Greeneyes knows from those final moments beside his littermate that the tree won't budge, and the young warrior fears it will be a permanent fixture. Maybe if they change it, if they make it a place of life instead of death, the sight of it will make the ever-twisting of his stomach slow to a stop.

If he's lucky. Greeneyes doesn't think he'll ever be freed from his brother's final moments.

"I... I'll help too," he chimes in, his voice wary as he nears the area. He doesn't want to get too close - doesn't want to be near where Snowpath's form once laid, where his claws tried to free him from his fate - but it's difficult to stay away from such a large obstacle in the midst of their camp. "I can... I can get some moss..? Or..."

His words trail off into silence, his gaze lowering to his paws as he waits for instructions. It's the least he can do, right? Help now, where he failed to before?
​

 

[>Scorchedpaw]

— The apprentice had been avoiding the large reminder that now laid dormant in camp, but upon Blazestar's calling he was forced to face it. A single blue eye stared at the tree that had crushed his fellow denmate. Was their still blood beneath it? A frown was clear upon his maw as the tom listened to his leader. He was sure Johnnyflame would want him to help so he tentatively pads over.

Jaws would grab at the mess of branches that were placed to the side before dragging them backward with all his might. Before plopping them and himself onto the ground. From there he'd use his teeth to pull at the freed branches, ripping away single leaves and any other attachments the tree had had to them. — tags​

 

[FIGFEATHER]

FIGFEATHER ♀​ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥​

Figfeather had ceased her lingering around the ferns Bobbie had kitted in shortly before Blazestar. She considered herself lucky to have been able to catch a tiny glimpse at the kittens, their tiny bodies mewling and squirming had been a sight she needed. Her heart has warmed and it beats with a newfound determination, she is more than happy to put this surge of energy into rebuilding the nursery when Blazestar calls. Padding over, she aims to brush her pelt alongside Greeneyes before moving herself closer to the fallen tree. Her throat tightens as she does her best to ignore the image of Snowpath stuck underneath its weight. Watching Slate, she takes fondness to his idea quickly. ”Wow, good idea!” She exclaims, they wouldn’t be able to move the tree completely… it was far to heavy. Yet if they dug under it, they could use it as a roof. It’d keep the nursery safe from all sorts of weather, maybe aside from flooding but… that shouldn’t be a problem, right? ”We could dig out a large den with plenty of room this way. Maybe we could keep the entrance small…? I was thinking that’d help keep it discreet… harder to find unless you’re a SkyClan cat. Oh- and, and on the outside- we could take brush and fallen pine branches and line the tree, hide the entrance of the nursery even further.” She sits down so not to topple her balance and begins to help dig underneath the tree, a glance is sent to her leader and lead warrior’s way to see what they thought of the idea.

 

[BRIGHTFLAME]

☆ -- IS THERE CHEESE IN THE GREAT BEYOND? -- ☆​

---

Brightpaw wasn't in camp when the tree had fallen, out trying to help hunt to keep up with the amount of bodies that needed food. She hadn't expected to come back to one less mouth to feed, especially one so young. She had been avoiding the area as best as she could, but when she heard the voice of Blazestar, speaking of rebuilding the nursery, she finally came over, watching for just a second at what everyone was doing, deciding what to do herself.

Moving over towards Slate and Figfeather, Brightpaw began to dig as well, trying to use the dirt that was being moved out of the way towards the sides of the large tree, in an attempt to make it so it couldn't somehow roll away, and so the dirt was out of the way. Even if they, themselves, couldn't move the tree, she didn't want it to somehow move. StarClan knows they had already lost so much.

---

​

 

[TWITCHBOLT]

It was a looming presence, that tree trunk- one that towered over them like some- some almighty beast, gloating with its faceless expression. Snowpath was in StarClan now, at the very least; but the place in which he had died seemed a cruel embellishment. A place where many of SkyClan's faces had grown up; himself, Daisyflight's litter, and every other litter after. The winds howled distant, now... but still present. A phantom storm still lingered, fastened in the middle of the camp like a death-knelling landmark.

Though he trembled more violently than normal, twitches more frequent and intrusive, Twitchbolt still dutifully flocked to Blazestar's call. It did not take the Clan long to band together, to struggle past the grief that blockaded their path by approaching the tree and making an effort to remove it. The digging felt... felt eerily pointless, and Twitchbolt's claws prickled for a moment with the thought.

Figfeather, though- she'd always had a good mind, hadn't she? It was her explanation of how they could use the tree that illuminated to him, past the fog of his shock, what benefit it would bring to the reconstruction of the den. Another nearby face, though- Greeneyes, stood still and voice weaving back into his breath- caught Twitchbolt's attention, too.

He took a place beside Greeneyes. "I'll come with you, if you- if you- if you want," he offered, eyelid seizing with his stutter, attempting to show in some way that he was there for Daisyflight's other son. Moss was certainly necessary, wasn't it? The nursery had to be one of the most comfortable dens in the Clan... it would do well to help provide Bobbie and her new kittens a place to relax, and... it might make what now seemed only like a graveyard feel more homely. ​

penned by pin ✧​

 

[MALLOWLARK]

Like many others, Mallowlark had been absent from camp when the tree had severed itself from its roots, falling with what he could only imagine had been a profoundly ugly sound. And though nature was nature, it could too be cruel. An apprentice ripped from the world too soon, everyone would say. But it was heroic, and... simply the way of it all, unfortunately. Very, very unfortunately. Mallowlark smiled still to attempt to keep any morale going, but it was a rather sharp and empty look, optimism something of a burden to carry. Simply because it was nature did not mean it wasn't a tragedy, too.

He was eager to help rebuild, though. To carry the weight for those who couldn't move forward at the moment, who couldn't stray near the den for fear of grief. Aiding those friends, that was what nice people did, wasn't it? Reach a paw out when you knew they couldn't...

Large, night painted paws strayed over to help the digging-out of the den, a task already started. Like Slate, the task was made easier by his looming size; the more delicate tasks would be better left to smaller bodies, like Scorchpaw who tugged to sever the tree's extremities. Dandelionwish's wall-idea was met with a warmer-than-usual grin, and Figfeather's eager suggestions blandished a nod from the bleached tom. "Oh, good idea! Wanna keep this one the safest of all, don't we," he hummed, as dirt clogged his claws. Hiding and reinforcing would likely keep it safe from the poisoned claws of the moor-clan.​

☺PENNED BY PIN​

 

[GREENEYES]

He leans into his sister's side as the marmalade twists of her fur brush against his own.

Her presence is a comfort he's glad to have at this moment, as they stand before the rubble - a shared grief in a brother who should be standing alongside them. If only there had been a way to save Snowpath, for the tree to have destroyed only structures, not lives. If only he'd dug faster. If only he'd --

Figfeather settles where Greeneyes had previously stood - claws digging into the ground with less urgency than when his own had scrapped at it. Greeneyes can feel himself holding his breath as she digs at the now-empty divet beneath the tree, as he prays to the stars - to Daisyflight and Snowpath - that the tree doesn't decide to budge now, while his sister moves beneath it.

He can't lose another.

His gaze is locked on his sister, heart beating fast as his own claws unsheathe - preparing to move if he needs to, to free her if tragedy strikes. But as others join her in digging and the divet grows larger, the tree stays still. They wouldn't stick kits beneath a wobbling tree anyways, he tries to convince himself, tries to quell the twisting in his stomach.

A voice beside him startles him. His head jolts to look over at the voice's owner, his eyes wide as he meets Twitchbolt's gaze. "Huh?"

Oh, right. The moss. Greeneyes had practically forgotten he'd offered to collect some while he'd been keeping watch of Figfeather, but Twitchbolt offers to go with him. His heart is still pounding as he nods his head, as he glances back at the tree to make sure his sister is still moving. Figfeather will be okay, the warrior tells himself, though his mind shifts, an image of gray and white fur splashed with crimson now replaced with honeyed twists.

"Y-Yeah. You can... You can come with," he answers, voice shaking. He looks around, scanning the area as he extends the offer further. "Anyone else want to help collect moss?" Maybe they can find stuff to decorate the new nursery with too - something bright, something to make it look more like the starting point of life it's meant to be.
​

 

[Soma]

YOU KEEP THE SUNSHINE,
SAVE ME THE RAIN​

---

"I'll come with you guys." offered Soma as he made his way over, gaze shifting between Twitchbolt and Greeneyes with just a touch of uncertainty. He didn't consider himself a coward by any means, but it wasn't exactly like he had a lot of experience with fitting in. Even standing there he looked a little awkward, as if he were trying to hide just how tall and scarred up he was in case it made either of them feel unnerved around him. He hadn't exactly made much of an effort to get to know his clanmates since he'd escaped the shelter during the raid, but heading out to grab moss with Twitch and Green seemed a lot less daunting than staying in camp with the majority of the clan.
​

---

LONER - male - 12 months - single - a tall, muscular tomcat with asymmetrical tuxedo markings and electric green eyes.